The Bedrock of Education

First appeared in the Idaho State Journal on November 29,2020

Last week I dressed up as my former alter ego, The Cow Crusader for Kindness to address the Pocatello Chubbuck School Board of Trustees. For three school years beginning in the fall of 2014, I was the ambassador for the School District 25 CAKE award. I got to present cupcakes to two students each month celebrating their Character, Attitude Kindness and Encouragement. I wore one of my cow suits and a purple cape last week to bring an air of kindness to the podium because it’s so often missing in the sphere of public comment. My remarks centered on the following content.

The kindness of all kindnesses would be if our school board could make everyone happy – if they could say “yes” to everyone.  But they can’t, so who should they listen to?

I’ve identified six categories of who I think an elected school board should listen to.

First, they should be listening to the parents of current students and the students themselves about what they want and feel they need. I have seen our school board doing this.

Secondly, they need to listen to Superintendent Howell and the professionals in the District office. These are people with decades of experience and degrees in higher education in areas like Educational Leadership and Curriculum Development. I’ve seen them listen to this group.

Third, they need to listen to administrators. Our secondary principals – Mrs. Brocket, Mrs. Delonas, Mr. Wallace and Ms. Prescott –I trust them.   I grew up two doors down from Highland High School’s Mr. Wallace and only knew him as a little guy, so one day I asked Pocatello High School Principal Mrs. Delonas, “What can you tell me about Brad?” Her reply was genuine and swift, “Oh my gosh! That guy reads everything. He’s tuned in to educational best practices, is learning all the time and loves to talk about it all.”  The school board needs to listen to that guy who reads, and they need to listen to his colleague who respects him. I’ve seen them do this.

Fourth, they should listen to individual teachers along with the teacher’s union representative. From last year’s Comprehensive Financial Audit Report, I learned we have 186 teachers with a Master’s or Doctorate degree. I put a call out to my Facebook friends who are teachers to get an idea of what some of their Master’s degrees were in. The replies included Master’s degrees in Literacy, English, Biology Education, Natural Science, School Counseling, Child and Family Studies, and more. I have watched the school board listen to our teachers and their union rep.

Fifth, what about the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the early childhood staff, the District computing and technology department, the facilities crew, the finance guy, the woman over Human Resources… all of the support staff who keep a school district running? They must listen to them to ensure they’ve got what they need to do their jobs, and I’ve watched them do that.

And finally, our local school board must listen to community groups. When agencies like law enforcement, the health department, or the Cities of Pocatello and Chubbuck offer guidance or direction, it’s usually in a crisis or to prevent one. On those occasions, the school board along with Dr. Howell and his staff really, really need to listen to them.   Thankfully, they have been.

When the Board of Trustees hasn’t done what a group or individual wants, it does not mean they have not listened; it means something else convinced them to go a different direction.

I am not in blanket agreement with every decision our local school board has made, but I have an appreciation for the process and all of the voices they must weigh – or choose not to weigh.  I have seen them prioritize the professional opinions of educators, the research those educators present to them, and guidance from subject matter experts throughout our community as they make decisions.

Pockets of public opinion may conflict with the findings of scientific research. Public opinions may conflict with the needs of teachers, and public opinions may conflict with agency and expert recommendations.  As the bedrock of education in this country we need our school boards to embrace a growth mindset that leads to continuous learning, and value education itself. Our school board has been doing this.

 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions limiting the maximum number of people in a public setting, I waited in a conference room before giving my testimony.